Which states issue “certificates of birth resulting in stillbirth” to mothers upon the delivery of a stillborn baby?
Three Midwestern states Indiana, Minnesota and Wisconsin are among the 13 nationwide that require the issuance of this kind of birth certificate. According to the MISS Foundation, a nonprofit education and advocacy organization that provides support to families experiencing the death of a child, the first state to issue a birth certificate for a stillborn baby was Arizona in 2001 (that state has since created a formal advisory council to examine stillbirths). Texas was the latest to adopt such legislation; its law took effect last month. Nationally, approximately 30,000 to 39,000 stillbirths occur each year in this country. A stillbirth is defined as an intrauterine death that takes place after the 20th week of pregnancy up through the time of delivery. Measures requiring “certificates of birth resulting in stillbirth” are commonly referred to as “MISSing Angels” bills. They have been passed in state legislatures over the past five years for several reasons: to improve data collection
